Preserve Your Herbs

At Edible HQs coast to coast we’ve been drawing inspiration from each other. With time on our hands to explore other regional and national culinary traditions comes this:
Recipes for Home: An Edible Communities Cookbook. Find our cookbook at EdibleCommunities.com/edible-cookbook; and enjoy a sample below.

July 08, 2020

Instructions

FLAT FREEZE
 

  • Blanch. Blanching kills things that mold or degrade leaves, helping keep the bright green color when frozen. Here’s how:
  • Dip basil in boiling water until just wilted—no more!
  • Go immediately from the boiling water to an ice bath to stop the heating.
  • After blanching, pat leaves dry and cut them from the stems.
  • Lay in a single layer inside a sealable freezer bag and place in freezer. When winter blues hit, pop open bag, break off a chunk, add to food and feel the warm summer love in your heart.

FREEZE IN OIL
 

  • Stem herbs and use whole leaves or chop them into pieces.
  • Place herbs into cube trays. Don’t fill more than ¾ of each cube with herbs; ⅔ full is a nice amount.
  • Pour your choice of olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil into each cube until you see the herb/oil ratio you want to achieve.
  • Place the cube tray into the freezer until your nuggets of herbaceous goodness are completely frozen (probably overnight).
  • Pop the frozen cubes out of the tray and store in a sealable freezer bag for future use.

DRY
 

  • Tie bundles of heartier herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender) at the stems and hang them in a dry, warm place away from sunlight.
  • Drying can take one to four weeks. When dry, simply pack the herbs loosely in a storage bag and store them in that cool, dry spot … you know, the one in your rustic Provençe kitchen. These herbs can last up to a year.

About this recipe

Courtesy of Edible Indy. Recipe by Mary McClung & Jennifer L. Rubenstein.

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